about

Experience The
Blooming Caravan

Blooming Caravan was built on the idea that aging at home can be graceful, playful, and meaningful. Gone are the days when older adults would succumb to a mediocre, uninspired life.

If you’re here reading this, you’ve likely always been the kind of person who prefers to do their own thing. You used to bake cakes because you loved the smiles on the faces of your loved ones; you gardened because you loved the feeling of your hands in the earth; and you laughed because you could always see that hope was right around the corner. You felt purpose in your life.

Find purpose getting out into the garden

With Blooming Caravan, I do things in my own unique way too. While I’m not a medical professional, I know that creativity and nature are therapeutic for the soul. I don’t schedule a prescribed workshop series, because you don’t need someone else telling you what you need to do with your time. I call it Creative Facilitation. It’s different, it’s fun, and I like it that way. I guarantee that you will too!

I believe that caring for our elders is integral to a healthy community and that wellness and well-being is about more than the state of our physical bodies.

I hold a deep respect for the wisdom of our seniors and their care partners. I understand that creativity and companionship can change people’s lives for the better.

What does Blooming Caravan look like in action? With Creative Companionship visits, we spend time together as you create something new, share stories, and nurture a part of yourself that often gets ignored or forgotten. I can also design special events and excursions with your loved ones or teach your care partners how to help you start a project that’s been on your mind. With Blooming Caravan, the possibilities are endless!

We’ll find creative ways for you to continue doing the things you love. I’ll make sure you feel supported as we adapt activities together and focus on what you can still do.

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“In American and even European culture, old people are excluded from life... You have to have the chance to be heard.”

— Inge Ginsberg, 95, Holocaust survivor, environmentalist, and Death Metal Grandma

Emma Rooney, Creativity Facilitator

*So much of my inspiration comes from spending time in High Park.*

Inspiration comes from many places. For some, they experience inspiration in a song or a scent, while others are moved by a piece of artwork or the feeling of the earth beneath their fingers.

I have always been inspired by art and nature.

Throughout my childhood, I was given the freedom and encouragement to spend lots of time playing outside, working on art projects, and writing stories. I learned quickly that a connection to nature is an essential ingredient in the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle, and that to feel alive we must constantly feed our creativity.

We all have a creative side, a side that needs to be nurtured in order for us to live healthy, fulfilled lives.

*I am grateful to have grown up in a nurturing home on the banks of the Rouge River with my parents, Moira and Tim, as my guides. It’s this magical place that has helped to shape my business.*

I’m a creativity facilitator who specializes in therapeutic gardening, cooking for wellbeing, and storytelling. My experience as a horticultural therapy intern at Providence Farm, a model therapeutic community on Vancouver Island, was instrumental in shaping my philosophy of care, which weaves together caring for the land and caring for people.

Since then, I’ve been fortunate to work with many innovative local organizations, from the High Park Children’s Garden to Greenest City in Parkdale and Ecosource in Mississauga. As a community programmer, I’ve enjoyed using my skills to support diverse populations and age groups with getting involved in important environmental and social justice issues. I’m the horticultural therapy practitioner at Copernicus Lodge LTC, a Toronto Master Gardener, and a volunteer at the High Park Nature Centre. I’m also a certified forest therapy guide with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. I look forward to welcoming you in the Forest Bathing Studio, a place to connect with your senses and nature nearby.

I believe elders represent the generation with the deepest wisdom, yet too often their voices go unheard. Blooming Caravan seeks to capture these one-of-a-kind stories for families and communities while nurturing the creative spirit of elders. Through cooking, gardening, and storytelling, the Blooming Caravan experience is artful, inspired by nature, and nourishing to your overall well-being.